Presenters:

David Cutler, Associate, GGLO

Michael Wishkoski, Principal, GGLO

In the Puget Sound Region, sprawl continues. According to the Puget Sound Regional Council, many exurban areas have achieved 80 percent of their 2040 growth targets in the past 8 years alone, outpacing growth rates in even the “hottest” urban markets. What mechanism can help redirect these growth patterns, encourage eco-conscious development, and offer resiliency through economic cycles? In the publication Transit Oriented Communities: A Blueprint for Washington State, the authors postulate that, an Embodied Energy and GHG Emissions Transfer Program (EEGHGETP) for new development could help channel growth within the urban growth area boundaries. Built on revenue neutral tax theory, transfer of development rights policy, and the Federal cap and trade system, this regional-level program would assign real cost to the embodied energy lost to redevelopment-related building demolition and to the GHG emissions related to new construction.

A presentation will precede break out sessions exploring how to tie policies to urban form and optimize future uses of existing buildings, followed by open discussion of this proposed program and how it might be introduced to citizens and decision makers throughout the region and beyond.


Session Format:  BREAK OUT SESSION

Presenter Bios

David Cutler

David has extensive experience with residential, institutional, and mixed-use architectural projects, and specializes in urban design projects that include transit, public-private partnerships, form-based codes, and alternative funding sources such as HOPE VI. Prior to his tenure at GGLO, David worked with the national architecture and urban design firm Torti Gallas and Partners in Los Angeles. He has also worked with the international design firm Moore Ruble Yudell Architects and Planners.

Michael Wishkoski

Michael has an abiding respect for the artistry of historic structures and an unfailing fascination for the stories they tell. Early in his career, Michael learned to value the classical sensibility of enduring craftsmanship and detail that are the hallmark of historic buildings. He has led the comprehensive design, renovation and adaptive reuse of mixed-use and residential projects throughout the Puget Sound Region and Northern California.